The King
by K.I.T.T. RIDER
Summary: Faker has kept an important secret from his eldest son, and Kaito ends up learning it the hard way. Now stuck with a civilization in shambles and a father who can no longer lead, Kaito is forced to take on the responsibilities his dad left behind. But will he ascend to the throne and become the King he was destined to be? *Post-series*
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I know, I know; another story? But yes, of course XD. Due to certain things, this'll be a main story, dropping some others to the back burner. **_

_**Anyway, I'm leaving the rating to the readers. If you want it to go up because y'all want more stuff, then sure. I'll do that.**_

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Dr. Faker could come off as a harsh man, a cruel monster, or an uncaring parent. However, it was all an act to deter his oldest son from becoming what his father was. Faker did not wish the fate he himself had been assigned to onto his own son, especially with the younger blonde hitting the age where _signs_ were imminent that this was Kaito's fate. But still, Faker chose to hide the largest secret of the Tenjo family form both Haruto and Kaito, hoping an entirely different future for them. Unfortunately, there were signs that the eldest Tenjo boy was starting to come of age; and Faker was doing everything to stop the change.

Kaito was not fond of the sudden attention his father was giving him. Haruto was the one who needed such care more, yet Faker seemed troubled whenever the Photon user was in the vicinity. The younger blonde, of course, did what his dad told him to do, albeit with a lot of resistance in some situations (especially the **no meat **rule; Kaito longed for a steak every now and then). But for hell's sakes, he was _nineteen_. He didn't have to follow Faker's ridiculous orders. But Haruto would look down upon such harsh actions against the old man, so Kaito begrudgingly did everything that was asked. Faker looked relieved with this new regimen, but something just did not settle with the eldest Tenjo son.

His father was hiding something. And he knew it was something _life changing_…

The old scientist hoped his research on what his son was becoming would help stop such a horrible fate, using women discarded on the street to hopefully find some answers. Byron, and occasionally Kazuma, would pop by. Oh, yes, those two knew exactly what the Tenjo family was; after all, Kazuma and Byron both had problems of the same nature within their families, even though Chris had yet to exhibit the symptoms and the other boys were still too young to even realize what was happening to them. Still there was nothing that could be had with anyone; and Faker was running out of time. The doc was even considering the woman who was betrothed legally and permanently to Kaito as soon as he came to age, but she was awfully busy with preparing herself for the union of her and the young blonde that she would only answer to Faker's calls if Kaito's true abilities arose.

It was quiet tonight, the scientist noted, almost too quiet. His sons were probably asleep at such a late time of night, but Kaito was more likely to be awake; yet another bad omen. Byron, unfortunately and permanently sealed in his Tron form, gazed carefully at his friend from a nearby computer. A frown was etched into the man-child's face; Faker was thinking quite hard about the issues of his lineage instead of the subject at hand.

"Oi, Faker," Byron called, hopping off his computer and approaching his friend. The old blonde sighed heavily and moved his gaze to the tiny boy approaching from the side.

"Yes?" Faker drew a hand through his hair, ending up pulling a chunk of blonde with it. He hissed through his teeth and discreetly disposed of the hair.

Byron crossed his arms. "For god's sakes, maybe you should pull your head out of the ground for a moment and just think about what is here in the present." Of course, the man-turned-child was mad, but not for the reasons most would assume. This was his closest friend, for crying out loud. Knowing what the rest of the city was going to do if Kaito did not take after his father, and said father was trying to prevent the action from happening, Byron had to smack the guy back into his right mind instead of stand by and watch as everything crumbled.

"I am." Well, to a point, he was. Faker was not in a mood to discuss the politics of this strict, yet old-fashioned, city. However, he knew how dire it was that he had an heir succeed him and carry on the legacy of the Tenjo family. After all, their line was of the purest and most ancient; last thing they needed was for the whole goddamn aristocracy to start dirtying the reputation. But then, there was Kaito, who had already gone through enough shit to last two entire lifetimes. He did not need the weight of an entire world on his shoulders, especially a world that was falling to shambles and that only existed within the confines of Heartland City.

"Faker, Kaito will have to deal with becoming a leader eventually," Byron stated, placing his gloved hand upon the older man's shoulder. "He will not like it, and neither will you. However, he is nineteen; the signals of what he is will start to show. Who knows? Maybe he will be like Chris, and not have the symptoms for years." He cleared his throat, releasing his grip and backing away slightly, but never dropping his gaze. "Kaito is, however, your heir; he does not have a choice other than leading this city."

Faker watched as Byron left the platform, hopping down to the ground before travelling to the computer which had gone into Sleep Mode due to not being used. The man-child was right, and unfortunately so. However, the old scientist was still going to do everything within his power in order to keep Kaito from all the bullshit hidden inside Heartland City.

Hopefully, Kaito would be able to live a few more years without knowing what he truly was.

Byron was busily conversing with the computer, telling various programs to cooperate with colourful threats that would probably hurt a woman's ears. However, with their current subject unresponsive for the time being, it didn't exactly matter how much the two men cursed. They had to figure out if this woman, close to becoming a full-fledged adult, could have the process of doing so stopped. Unfortunately, the scientists were low on time, and this woman was probably the last experiment they could perform before shit hit the fan.

Faker sighed harder, rubbing at his dull violet eyes. He was exhausted, and it had been forever since he had eaten properly. If Haruto knew of the condition his father was in, there would be a tough scolding and the forcing of cereal or oatmeal in the man's future. Of course, Haruto's future, similar to his brother's, could not be avoided either, even if the boy was only seven years old. But Haruto's fate could wait; Kaito's situation was far more serious and there was less time to be had with it.

The woman lying on the examination table in the middle of the room (which had once displayed the coordinates of dimensional portals; since Chris had taken up that project, the projector had been moved elsewhere) was young, possibly Kaito's age, maybe a little older. She was close to becoming an adult; however, she appeared to be malnourished beyond acceptable standards, and the outcome of such treatment had seemed to seal her fate to die as soon as the time came for her to mature. However, Faker planned to keep her at the Tower until she was able to be on her own again. He did not condone the mistreatment of these poor women; at least, he didn't consider his experiments immoral, and neither did the subjects he had tested on. It was for a good cause; and the females accepted that they were serving a duty for their leader, even if they didn't comprehend why he was performing such tests.

"Her vitals are stable, finally," Byron spoke after a few more minutes of trying to get his technology to work with him. "Shall we start this dose now?"

"Yes," the old man confirmed. His friend initiated the injection sequence. Faker had to admit that, even after all his years of doing these kinds of things to others, it still disturbed him to see the robotic arm come from the ceiling above, and inject the poor woman with a serum that would either halt her maturing or fail to do a single thing whatsoever. The female didn't seem to mind, or even notice, the needle piercing her arm several times, making sure that the concoction got deep into her bloodstream. After several minutes of this, the arm pulled back, allowing the raw skin at the crook of her elbow time to heal. Byron disengaged the program with a few curses, and went over to the woman, using a stool to stand on, and checked the piercings in her skin.

"All is well, Faker," spoke the masked scientist. His friend gazed uncertainly at the woman, who was still asleep, and would stay that way for a few hours more. "Should we move her to her own quarters now?"

"Have one of the nurses do so," the old man replied, standing from his seat near a massive amount of controls and highly advanced technical equipment. "I also want staff to monitor her closely."

Byron nodded. "Don't fret, Faker. Hopefully this will turn up some useful results."

Faker dropped his gaze to the floor, sadness somehow managing to seep deeper into his soul. "Yeah… hopefully."

…

…

Kaito found himself wide awake, despite the time nearing one in the morning. Currently, he was pacing around in one of the kitchens the Tower housed; his mind was racing with thoughts of impending doom, as if someone—or something—were out to get him. He hadn't a clue as to why he was so paranoid, but he had an aching feeling that it was relating to the strange occurrences he had been noticing as of late. For one thing, his father was being allusive as of late. Which was nothing new, but the time periods were getting longer and closer together. Kaito hardly ever saw Faker anymore, and it was a definite shock, especially after the War. Oh, and another thing: Kaito was beginning to notice that his cravings for meat (approaching rare and, when he was hungrier than per usual, completely raw) were stronger than he'd ever felt before. Sure, he'd restrained from eating meat for years in the past, especially when he had been hunting Numbers, but it had never gotten this bad. The blonde found himself occasionally staring at raw hamburger patties in the supermarket for minutes on end, wondering what it would be like to actually eat something that had come from a living being, without cooking it. It disgusted him, yet he couldn't help but comply slightly with his instincts.

Which sort of explained why he had parked his ass right outside the freezer and was staring into the confines of the white metal monster which held the shit he had been contemplating about for the better part of the month. Of course, he was considering just ripping a package out of the freezer and letting it defrost so he could test his theory out, but that would be going against his father's wishes and he didn't want to disappoint his brother with rebellious actions. Their little family was starting to become a family, and Kaito's teenage actions, which had yet to leave him, would fracture what fraction of trust the three had with each other.

That steak was looking pretty good right about now.

Shaking his head, the blonde stepped away from the chilly appliance and slammed the door shut. He was exhausted; yeah, that explained it. Recuperating from whatever the hell the Numeron Code had done to revive him was one trip he would like to get over, and quickly. At least he was grateful to be back with all of his friends and family. Thinking about it now, he was an asshole for having left Haruto, and Faker, and everyone else to mourn over his death. Ryouga, for one thing, after hearing the news of what Kaito had done, after the war, had scolded the living shit out of the poor blonde. It wasn't like Kaito could have helped it either; considering that his depression had played a role in that decision, and Mizael's ridiculous antics and desires, and Don Thousand's spouting of bullshit to everyone, it wasn't hard to imagine why Kaito took the (sort of) easy way out.

That was beside the point. Kaito needed to get his shit together, even if it seemed like he'd had in the month that he'd been living a normal life (if you could consider being a rich ass young adult still living in a Tower the size of Everest normal). Ryouga sure as hell envied the blonde; getting the Lords into school, as well as having them all renovate the Kamishiro estate, was nothing short of a task only God himself would take on. Yuma was, out of all three of them, the most recovered; now that he was dating Kotori, the boy seemed a lot happier, even without his glowing ally beside him anymore. His parents, even after the whole Interdimensional imprisonment thing, were almost always adventuring nowadays, however. Poor Yuma was coming to terms that his parents would never change, despite dangers faced in the past.

"Kaito."

The voice was eerily familiar. The blonde turned around from having been eyeing the fridge like a hawk and met the eyes of his father. Faker had a frown that dragged his wrinkles further down in such a way that his skin looked like it were about to fall off. On top of that, the old guy seemed extremely alarmed by his son's presence in the kitchen.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing." Faker, without warning, came into the kitchen and grabbed Kaito by the elbow, dragging the young man out into the hallway. The younger blonde gazed at his only parent in shock for a few moments before tearing himself away from the scientist.

"What are you doing?" Kaito angrily inquired, glaring at the older man. Sure, Kaito wasn't exactly happy with all the touchy-feely going on as of late, but this amount was a little too much for him to deal with. "I can go back to my room on my own, without a babysitter."

"I know, but I can't have you staring at stuff like that." Faker dragged a hand through greying hair. A clump came out along with his wrinkled palm; this, naturally, worried his son, but the old man stopped a response from the younger before anything could be said. "Go to your room. I have some, ah, issues to discuss with you once you get some rest."

Kaito, not knowing what to think, obliged. He knew his father was getting old, but to see the guy quite literally falling apart perturbed the Photon user greatly. However, upon reaching his bedroom and seeing the bed, he had a new burst of energy. This was another odd thing he had noticed with his body, although it probably came from his days of endless Numbers Hunting. However, instead of being constantly tired, he found the day extremely draining, zapping nearly all of his energy. At night, his senses came to life, instead of quieting for a restful sleep. So he found himself napping quite often during daylight hours, and working on research by lamps when he should have been like the rest of the residents of the city.

A deep throbbing started up behind his sternum, but he simply ignored it. Before his mind decided to take a completely different path, he got out of his boots before entering completely into the room. At least he had forgone his Deck Cases tonight, because he was not in the mood to carry around his cards. Dropping his coat onto the chair beside the desk, he stretched and raised his gaze to the windows which crammed a quarter of the ceiling, in a partial dome. How his father had managed to put it into the design of the Tower was beyond him, but it gave the Photon user something to watch to calm his nerves.

Kaito found himself lying on the bed in only his boxers and staring up into the stars. He hoped that they held the answers he was looking for; perhaps they could tell him why his behavior was changing. Or maybe… they knew why he felt so out of place nowadays. Like he wasn't supposed to be among the people that walked within the city… it felt truly odd to him. Of course he felt this way; his father built the damn city, for god's sakes.

For some reason, he found it rather easy to shut his eyes and sleep. Although it was a restless, dreamless sleep.

…

…

Faker was a cursing, furious mess by the time he got to his own quarters. Slamming his fist down on the wall as he entered and slipped off his shoes, he glared angrily at the moonlight shining in from the ceiling-to-floor windows lining the living room. Oh, he wasn't mad at his own son; of course not. He was mad at the course that his son's life was heading on. Kaito's maturity phase was coming closer, and approaching a lot faster than expected. Unless that woman Faker had taken in could wake up within the next few days and show that she had adverted turning into an adult, then there wouldn't be hope for keeping Kaito normal.

Faker stared at the phone for a long time. He had no choice but to call the female he and his wife had arranged to be married to their son, the heir, so many years ago. But he was very, very nervous. If the female knew, she would not leave her home for many nights, until the announcement had been made that Kaito had gone through maturity was given to her. Faker didn't want to trouble the poor female, but he didn't exactly have much time.

He turned on the screen for the phone and dialed the number. After the third ring, the woman's face came on the projection on the wall. Of course, she was dressed in pure white robes, hood pulled over her face, signaling that she had sensed Kaito's change in behavioral state. Despite the distance, she could sense clearly whenever her betrothed felt under stress; that's why she had been the first choice from the other seven bloodlines.

" 'Tis almost time, is it not?" she inquired, the corners of her mouth lifting just slightly.

"Yeah, he's getting close." Rubbing his temples, Faker sighed. "I suggest preparing yourself now; it seems like the change is pretty damn close."

"I shall do so, my lord." She bowed her head forward, and he caught a glimpse of her hair before she righted herself to a proper position.

"I want you here at the Tower," Faker stated before she could leave the call. "If he goes into maturity and it's difficult on him, I want you to be here. Now, before you start saying that you'll just be a bother, know that I truly do want you here. Kaito needs you."

She was silent for a few moments. Then her lips curved into a tiny smile. "I shall come to your residence, my lord."

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_**A/N: How'd the first chapter go? You enjoy? Good. Now review. *snuggles readers***_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: I'm trying to stretch these chapters as far as I can get them to go, a technique I'm perfecting for NaNoWriMo. So this story will be longer than anything I've posted before. Okay, now enjoy._**

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The female was not entirely surprised by her betrothed's sudden turn for maturity. She should have known that he would eventually hit that critical point in his lifetime sooner. Of course, she had felt that it was approaching fast, hence why she was wearing her traditional robing and switching back to the language she knew best: Old English. Of course, her future partner would be completely oblivious to what was happening, up until the very moment she came upon him and they sealed their arrangement. Oh, how long she had waited for this; being the last of her line, she was quite glad to be paired with the heir to the throne. There were many ways she could describe her love for the young male, but none were worthy of someone like him. He was simply too perfect, too beautiful. _Well, of course,_ she berated herself. He was a prince, after all.

"You sure about this?" the older male's voice stated from behind her as she stood from her kneel. Despite having her vision concealed by the robes, she knew exactly who it was, yet she did not bother with her lowly servant. Frowning, she brushed passed him, out of the room; she did not wish for his presence right now, especially when time was of the essence and her own body was alive, ready to be taken by her betrothed. Travelling across the carpet in her thin white slippers, she managed to escape to her bedroom before her servant began questioning her antics. With pale, steady hands, she collected the required clothing and cleansing liquids required for her to use before meeting with the heir.

Holding the elegant pack in her hands, she slipped out from her room and quietly approached the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. However, her servant was aware of where she was headed and rushed to the panel of glass, blocking her way. Irritated, she glared up at the tall male from underneath her hood.

"Move," she commanded, not at all happy with her servant's actions. However, the male refused to move, which only served to anger her further.

"I'm not letting you leave," the servant sneered. "You are mine alone."

"I beg to differ, slave." This was a definite contrast to the one she and her servant had shone on behalf of her betrothed's friends. On the outside, the lowly male had been her protector, showing obvious signals that he wanted more than just friendship (which she noted, yet ignored). She had played the act of a young woman who, despite the large male looming around her near constantly, could clearly take care of herself and the boy that she so dearly loved. However, when it was just the two of them, the dynamics were completely switched; her servant only had one purpose, and that was to feed her when she needed. She disliked commoners, especially since she had been forced to take one as a slave. But there were other reasons, too, that she wished death upon this male; he had tried to mount her numerous times, but she never allowed it. Of course, this was his way of trying to mark her, so that the prince would reject her, but she had had enough.

"Get on your knees," he hissed, reaching for the fly of his pants. However, instead of following the order, she bent at the waist and placed the pack containing her required supplies on the white carpet below their feet. Standing straight, she slipped her hood off and snarled at him.

"I am not going to perform such a lewd act on a _slave_," she growled, narrowing her angered gaze on him. His ridiculous, psychotic grin did nothing to make her submit as he somehow got out of his pants quickly and began approaching her like prey. Her eyes never left his, her power showing within her glowing irises. This situation was far passed any boundaries the female had set over the years she had owned this male; she could afford to bend the rules a little bit, simply to teach this underling a lesson.

A smile parted her lips, showing that she, indeed, was the future queen.

…

…

A day had quickly passed, and Faker could not have been more worried. He continued his research with Byron, the man-child having brought in his oldest son to help move the experiments along. Their female subject had yet to awaken, which was normal; females took a little longer to respond to stimuli of the outside world when they had been forced into their dormant state. However, the old scientist's patience was wearing thin; Kaito had not woken during the day, showing that he was, indeed, very close to maturity. Instead, the eldest Tenjo son had been spotted fixing up his robot during the night by Haruto, who had been getting ever more worried by his brother's strange behavior. Kaito had waved it off, of course, but the young blonde had forgotten to speak to his father; another indicator that maturity was not far off. This entire situation was stressing Faker to the point where his body was beginning to give out, and that only served to shrink the time period between Kaito being a normal human being and metamorphosing into something completely different.

Faker sighed, burying his face into his hands and trying to calm himself before he ran more tests on the blood collected from the female subject. He listened to Chris and Byron discuss things like transfusions, coitus, and offspring the future King and Queen would have. The mere concept that Kaito was going to have to face this when he came of age was simply horrifying. The young blonde still retained what innocence he had, and as soon as his damn brain was completely oriented from maturing, he would search for his mate and take her with little concern. Faker knew the male hormones at such a time in life were overwhelming, especially when the new chemicals were released into the system for the first time. Kaito had one hell of a drive coming to him, and for once, Faker wished his eldest son would stay a child instead of having to deal with the consequences of copulation with a female.

Chris spoke up after a few minutes, catching the old man's attention. "Faker, her blood is showing some changes, but nothing major," the younger male informed, showing the results on the monitor over his head. Dr. Faker simply frowned and dropped his head back into the confines of his palms, far too stressed to be bothered. Damn, he wished his wife were still alive; she would be able to help him in times of such distress, even if she disliked him greatly.

That woman had been such an amazing spouse, even if she never did love her husband fully. Perhaps being Queen had forced her to act in such a way that she eventually gave up on rejecting her future and took on the responsibility of being a mother to any children they had. She was an amazing female, biting her tongue and bearing two children for him before she died in a raid on the Tower. Perhaps she had allowed herself to go like that, dying in honor of her sons, instead of living the lavish life of a Queen. Faker had to envy the beautiful female for her actions; he was not that strong, no matter how he made himself appear.

He could only hope that his son's mate could be like that in the future, when Kaito was King and possibly a father.

"Oi, Faker, get your goddamn head out of the clouds." Byron's voice was loud and slightly distorted by his mask. The old blonde jumped, meeting the annoyed eyes of the masked child and the long-haired scientist.

"S-Sorry," Faker quickly apologized, dropping his hands and standing dejectedly. He went over to the computers his friends were crowded around, glancing at the levels of chemicals in the female subject's bloodstream. A smile curved his lips. "Looks like we're finally getting somewhere."

"Yeah, but don't get ahead of yourself." Byron flicked a finger toward a scale on the left side of the screen, showing the hormones the female had were fluxing greatly. "If these don't stabilize, she'll change, no matter what the results are of the serum's testing. Hell, I don't think it worked, but y'know, I could be wrong."

"Father, this is a breakthrough," Chris stated, wincing as he moved his left arm. Shit. He was starting to show symptoms as well; not a good sign. "We should record these results and begin on a backup dosage if this one doesn't work."

"Good thinking, Chris." Byron side-glanced his son, noticing the sudden pale complexion of the twenty-year old male. A frown tilted the visible part of his mouth. "Are Kaito's hormones getting to you or what? You're acting strange."

Chris widened his eyes. "Perhaps," he replied, crossing his arms with some difficulty. "I'm at the post-term age, however. If I don't mature soon, I'll be stuck as a twenty-year-old for the rest of my life."

Faker warily gazed at his friend's son. If Chris was exhibiting symptoms because of Kaito, then that meant Kaito was going to mature any minute now; the flux of hormones in the air was beginning to become apparent. Now that the old man had paused his bodily functions for the moment, he could smell the chemicals in the air, signs that someone was approaching that critical stage. Worry flooded him and he stared desperately at Byron, who only shrugged. They only had a few hours at the least, a day at the most, to see if the serum worked. In a way, Faker felt like he had failed his son; but if this worked, not only would Kaito live a normal human life, he'd be able to go on and love whoever he chose to be with instead of being stuck in an arranged marriage he had no knowledge of.

The older blonde sighed and backed away, keeping an eye on Chris as he made his way back to his computers. Faker was frowning hard, rubbing at his jaw to try and alleviate the ache from his teeth. Yes, even the thickness of the hormones was affecting him, and he had gone through maturity years before. It was amazing what a male approaching maturity could do to the others around him, especially one of Kaito's status. The scientist winced as the hormone level rose; he could nearly taste it in the air, even with the distance he had between himself and his son. Another scent, female, was on the air too, and it seemed like Kaito's future mate was here and preparing for the life changing event coming their way.

Shutting his eyes, Faker focused himself back on his work, trying to bury himself in something else before his worry engulfed him. He decided that, even if he hated considering it, the paperwork sitting on his desk could be better entertainment than waiting around for something to happen, whether it be his son becoming an adult, or the woman's condition changing from what it was currently; and hopefully for the better, because he could use some good news right about now.

…

…

Something was definitely off. Kaito decided this as he sat up in bed, kicking the sheets off of himself. His skin ached a little and his internal thermostat was cranked on high, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere beneath the thin blankets. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he decided to travel back to where he had been yesterday and catch something to eat. His stomach was growling angrily, pissed that he'd missed dinner (due to sleeping, apparently; he didn't even know he'd slept for so long). After debating on the _whats_ and _hows_ of getting the food he wanted without his dad throwing a hissy-fit, he slipped into his casual grey t-shirt Yuma had gotten for him and a pair of his favorite white tights before stumbling out the door as he struggled to get his boots on. Dammit, he felt like a little kid, his energy ramped up to the max. Hyper and completely strung out, he trotted to the kitchen and was struck dumb when he realized why he was there.

_The meat… again_. He wanted the meat and he wasn't taking no for an answer this time. No matter how hard he tugged on himself, trying to gain some control over his body, he moved without his brain telling him what to do. Kaito just went with it, his mind strained as he saw himself reach into the freezer and grab a steak from its icy confines. Tossing it in the microwave, he let the thing defrost and tried, once more, to get a grip on his actions.

Big fat nada on that one, unfortunately. The blonde sighed, watching the damned meat go around and around and losing its iced form. He gave in to the urges and allowed whatever the hell was controlling him to reach inside the small, black machine after the ding had signaled the successful semi-cooking of the steak. Mental exhaustion poured through him, but his heart was racing tenfold and his hands were busying themselves with opening the container the meat was contained in. All he could feel was the cold dread as he pulled out the dripping raw meat from the plastic jail it had been encased in.

Kaito swallowed hard, eyeing the bloody meat curiously. His expression was that of a child, the corners of his mouth tilted downward slightly, his grey eyes centered on the steak as he held it in front of his face. His body grew hotter the longer he stared at the food, until he found himself having sweat bead down his nose. The internal growl, which he had thought was his stomach, grew to a hum, and soon he found himself bringing the meat to his nose. Of course, Kaito had no control over what he was doing, and embarrassment crept around him as he felt himself sniff at the bloody pulp he held in his bare hands. The blonde realized with disgust that the meat had left blood pooling in his sleeves, making the fabric stick to his skin. Growling inwardly, he gave one more go at getting the reins on himself.

This time, it worked. To a point, at least, it did.

The Photon user managed to place the meat down on the counter beside the microwave. Before he freaked himself out further, he hurriedly left the kitchen, although his stomach roared in protest. He couldn't blame the thing, either; it had taken all his effort to pull it off course, but he'd neglected eating that he was used to not eating for a few days. But this was excessive, especially since he was considering eating raw meat of the container without even cooking it properly. Slamming the door to his room, he slipped out of his boots and started approaching his bed when he realized he had blood all over his arms and hands; something he had to clean up with a late night shower. He relocated himself to the bathroom and used his elbow to turn on the lights.

What he saw in the mirror surprised him. Apparently he had accidentally smudged some blood on his nose as well, and the leftover liquid was slowly trailing down to his lips, dyeing his pale skin. Without thinking, he trailed his tongue over his upper lip and catching the drops. He drew the liquid into his mouth and swallowed. Blinking, he was surprised to find that the blood didn't taste like copper, as he'd expected it to. No, it was… amazingly sweet. And he wanted more. So, without further ado, and not giving a damn what his rational thoughts were trying to tell him, he lapped up the red fluid covered his arms to his elbows. He even drained the blood from the soaked sleeves of his shirt into his mouth.

His stomach chose that exact moment to say _nope_ and Kaito found himself leaning over the sink, dry heaves forcing him to stay in place. The ache in his skin grew and morphed into something he couldn't even begin to describe. Forcing his stomach to calm its shit, he struggled out of the bathroom and almost fainted before he got to the bed. The agony switched from his skin to his bones, creating a near impossible challenge as he struggled onto the mattress. The blonde ended up sprawled out perpendicular to the bed.

God, and he thought dying on the Moon had been bad? This easily beat suffocating and freezing to death, the pain reaching levels he never thought possible. Moaning in agony, he pressed his face into his bicep, trying to see if anything could stop the burn tearing through his body. But unfortunately, it only amplified, and writhing against the sheets seemed to be the only thing keeping him sane.

…

…

Faker was busying himself with the exciting news that his serum had worked when Chris suddenly stiffened and face the door. Of course, the old man was too busy preparing a vile of the serum to notice, but Chris was fully alert, his senses roaring to life. The hormone levels had risen sharply and then plummeted; a very bad sign. Chris inspected the air again, and what his father's friend had been trying to prevent… well, it was here, and in its early stages. He sighed hard, frowning and feeling disappointed. Of course, he'd hoped a better life for his former pupil, but Kaito's fate was sealed in stone, concrete, and diamond. With a frown, the long-haired duelist turned to his father and whispered the words to Byron.

The masked boy groaned, dropping his head on the keyboard and making the writing program he was on type out one single character across the screen. Then Byron growled and sat straight up, staring with a sad expression over at the happy old man typing on computers and perfecting the dose for Kaito. This would break Faker's heart, and possibly make the aging leader finally head to the grave. Chris continued to monitor the air, feeling the hormones spike, then fall, then spike again. Maturity for someone such as Kaito was going to be difficult and long-lasting, and unfortunately, only his betrothed mate could help him in such a challenging phase.

Faker's strained voice after Byron had told him to sniff the air made Chris wince. "No, it can't be happening," the old man begged, falling to his knees and placing the vile containing the serum on floor. "Please, it can't be happening… it can't be."

Byron sighed heavily. "Faker, get off the floor. Kaito's becoming an adult now, and you can't stop it." Standing from his chair, the man-child took off his mask in respect of his old friend. "Keep the serum for Haruto, but for now, you can only send your eldest son's mate to him to comfort him through the change."

"But I…" Faker just broke down, hugging himself. He had never wanted this for Kaito, but it was simply too late. Before he collapsed further, her ordered Chris to go and find the female for his son, to which the eldest Arclight son obliged to. After that, he just lied down on the floor and tried to calm his nerves before he told Kaito what was going on.

…

…

Kaito did not know how long he spent alone, desperately fighting off the pain he was in, but he felt a gentle presence beside him. He hadn't noticed it before, but he felt himself getting draped into white, his vision blurring and fading too much to tell what the hell was going on. A soft voice told him to stop biting into his bicep and, due to being completely unable to do anything but listen, let his jaws go lax and rolled his head away from his arm. Something warm was pressed to his mouth, and the dull ache in his teeth went meteoric as liquid tasting like candy slid passed them. Moaning, he sucked delicately, yet hard, from whatever was giving him this fluid, and the pain lessened somewhat. The blonde just let his body do what it wanted, because quite frankly, he was too exhausted and sore to care.

A voice whispered to him calmly, the same one that had told him to stop biting into his own arm. Feminine, smooth, slick… familiar. He indeed recognized it, but he couldn't place a name on it. He only knew that whoever was speaking to him was female… and he could smell it, too. How, he hadn't a clue, but he knew simply from every breath he took. A woman was beside him and holding his hand as he gritted his way through the massive amount of pain.

This went on for… how long? Minutes? Hours? Days? Ah hell, his mind was so jumbled that he seriously didn't know left from right or up from down. He writhed against the sheets, sweating pouring from his body, the movement of his limbs jerky and uncoordinated. But one thing was for sure; the woman at his side never left, only continuing to feed him that sweet substance and holding his hand for support. He would never admit to it, but he was grateful for the support.

He just hoped this damn process wouldn't take much longer…

* * *

**_A/N: How's it working for y'all? Good? 'kay, review! Love that review button like ya mean it._**


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